NYSE Amex Equities

DEFINITION of 'NYSE Amex Equities'

An American stock exchange owned by NYSE Euronext. The NYSE Amex is located in New York City and handles about 10% of all securities traded in the U.S. It deals in products such as ETFs, cash equities, structured products, and close-end funds and with the acquisition of Amex, NYSE Euronext became the third largest U.S. options marketplace.

BREAKING DOWN 'NYSE Amex Equities'

In 2008 the NYSE Euronext acquired the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). The AMEX name was first changed to NYSE Alternext U.S., then became known as NYSE Amex in 2009. It used to be a strong competitor to the New York Stock Exchange, but that role has since been filled by the Nasdaq. Today, almost all trading on the AMEX is in small-cap stocks, exchange-traded funds and derivatives.